Would it be safe to learn scuba-diving with a history of asthma?
August 31, 2021 8:21 AM Subscribe
I have always wanted to attempt scuba-diving but I have been hesitant due to my asthma history. Are there any scuba divers with asthma/history of asthma here and do scuba-dive?
I still sometimes get slightly wheezy after a hard exercise, but I don't need an inhaler anymore. But had bad asthma as a child and early teenager. Not sure if it would be hard on my lungs with scuba-diving - or maybe deep diving?
I still sometimes get slightly wheezy after a hard exercise, but I don't need an inhaler anymore. But had bad asthma as a child and early teenager. Not sure if it would be hard on my lungs with scuba-diving - or maybe deep diving?
Just FYI, a lot of great dive sites are in less than 20 feet of water, in pretty calm conditions, so a SCUBA session can be pretty chill, and not really tax your lungs much at all. And it doesn't have to be a big deal if you stop and head up to the surface to breathe for awhile, especially at shallower dive sites. If you can handle snorkeling, you can probably do SCUBA.
posted by skewed at 8:54 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by skewed at 8:54 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
You should talk to a doctor about this. For most scuba organizations, since you have (or had) asthma, you will need a form filled out by your doctor saying scuba is okay. For example, here is the PADI form: In Box A, they ask about asthma. If you answer yes to any question, you need a doctor's approval.
Divers Alert Network (a scuba safety organization) has some information about diving with asthma.
posted by cruelfood at 8:56 AM on August 31, 2021 [7 favorites]
Divers Alert Network (a scuba safety organization) has some information about diving with asthma.
posted by cruelfood at 8:56 AM on August 31, 2021 [7 favorites]
There is no reason why not but you will need to get your doctor's approval. Assuming you dive with PADI you will fill in a medical form with a *lot* of conditions listed on it. If you tick yes to any, including asthma, you will need to provide your doctor's written permission to dive otherwise for insurance purposes, you won't get to dive.
Helpful information from the UK diving medical committee.
I have dived with people with asthma. Is yours triggered by cold? The air from a cylinder is quite cold and very, very dry. It's something that you get used to but may wish to be aware of at first.
I would challenge the advice given above that you can 'head up to the surface to breathe for a while'. Even on a relatively shallow dive, that's asking for trouble and goes against every bit of dive training I ever had.
posted by dowcrag at 9:02 AM on August 31, 2021 [7 favorites]
Helpful information from the UK diving medical committee.
I have dived with people with asthma. Is yours triggered by cold? The air from a cylinder is quite cold and very, very dry. It's something that you get used to but may wish to be aware of at first.
I would challenge the advice given above that you can 'head up to the surface to breathe for a while'. Even on a relatively shallow dive, that's asking for trouble and goes against every bit of dive training I ever had.
posted by dowcrag at 9:02 AM on August 31, 2021 [7 favorites]
When I was learning to SCUBA many years ago, we started out in a pool. What's great about a pool is it's well-lit, shallow, you can make dumb mistakes and learn your limits without drowning.
posted by amanda at 9:04 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by amanda at 9:04 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
+1 dowcrag, esp re. heading to the surface to breathe. I'm reinforcing the suggestion to not rely on this because this is dangerous
posted by blueberrypuffin at 9:16 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by blueberrypuffin at 9:16 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
My partner has asthma and is an avid scuba diver, he talked to his doctor when he started and got the okay. Terrible asthma as a kid and teen, still gets exercise induced asthma on rare occasions, and has never had a problem diving. Start with lessons in a pool, it’s a safe way to figure out if it’s a good sport for you. Good luck!
posted by lepus at 9:25 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by lepus at 9:25 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
I have asthma that sounds a step or two worse than yours, and love scuba diving.
What do you mean by deep diving? Most dives you're probably not going to get under a fifty feet, maximum amount hundred feet deep, which doesn't sound like a lot, but things truly are a little different at a hundred feet. I had minor but noticeable difficulty breathing at 100 ft, not to the point where it interfered with anything, but it was just slightly more of a struggle that I was warned would be likely.
If you're thinking of the fancy high-tech deep diving where you have to use special blends of gasses in the tank, you definitely want to talk to experts.
posted by Jacen at 9:36 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
What do you mean by deep diving? Most dives you're probably not going to get under a fifty feet, maximum amount hundred feet deep, which doesn't sound like a lot, but things truly are a little different at a hundred feet. I had minor but noticeable difficulty breathing at 100 ft, not to the point where it interfered with anything, but it was just slightly more of a struggle that I was warned would be likely.
If you're thinking of the fancy high-tech deep diving where you have to use special blends of gasses in the tank, you definitely want to talk to experts.
posted by Jacen at 9:36 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
It has been many years since I my scuba diving training. As I recall the concern is breathing compressed air at depth when you raise to the surface that air expands and must be expelled. If you had an asthma attack at depth the compressed air in your lungs cannot escape and could cause a rupture as the air expands.
posted by tman99 at 9:46 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by tman99 at 9:46 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
Ascension must be carefully controlled due to nitrogen build up in the body. Normally at most pressures humans are subjected to, nitrogen escapes without any issues. But under the ocean it can collect in organs, rapidly expanding if one goes too fast towards the surface. Decompression sickness is a real thing, and can be fatal. So if there was a breathing emergency under the water, it could be difficult to get someone back to the surface.
posted by Jacen at 9:53 AM on August 31, 2021
posted by Jacen at 9:53 AM on August 31, 2021
I had childhood asthma (mostly exercise induced and managed with an inhaler, but on a few occasions severe enough to warrant the nebulizer treatment) that sporadically flared up through early adulthood. This history of and anxiety around not being able to breathe didn't impact my scuba diving experience at all, which was a near shore beginner dive in the Philippines.
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:43 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:43 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
I have asthma, talked to a doctor, got a letter, got certified. I suspect this might be highly specific to what triggers your attacks, so I would try to have a very specific discussion with your doctor and then your dive instructors. FWIW, I was surprised to find that breathing though a scuba rig was usually calming; that said, I think most courses will require you to demonstrate skill at recovering a lost mask/lost hose, to do a (shallow) ascent without air, to buddy-breath, etc., and those might be more stressing than dives that go as you plan.
posted by Mngo at 11:22 AM on August 31, 2021
posted by Mngo at 11:22 AM on August 31, 2021
I'm borderline asthmatic, get wheezy when exercising. But my experience with SCUBA is that it has been a relaxing, enjoyable experience. The act itself tends to be calm and low exertion.
I would encourage you to get classes in a pool that help you practice all the emergencies, and have comfort with your equipment, so you would never encounter anything without being prepared.
The vast majority of dives I have taken involve slow action, and floating or slow swimming to enjoy the experience, and maximize duration with the air you have.
posted by nickggully at 1:58 PM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
I would encourage you to get classes in a pool that help you practice all the emergencies, and have comfort with your equipment, so you would never encounter anything without being prepared.
The vast majority of dives I have taken involve slow action, and floating or slow swimming to enjoy the experience, and maximize duration with the air you have.
posted by nickggully at 1:58 PM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
When a doctor signs off on a SCUBA medical form, they are doing so from a place of tremendous knowledge about the body and its diseases, but not necessarily any particular knowledge about hyperbaric medicine. I would get a consultation from a dive medicine doctor. I know of at least one who believes that asthma, unless extremely well controlled, is a near-absolute contraindication to diving. The Diver's Alert Network maintains a referral service to help you find someone in your area who can give you advice specific to your situation. You don't, technically, have to be a DAN member but they are an outstanding resource and it would be churlish not to support their research, training, and services to the dive community.
What can go wrong? Trapped air during ascent is super bad, as noted above. Rapid, shallow respiration, such as you might do during an asthma attack, can also kill you. It doesn't allow your body to eliminate CO2, which makes it feel like you're not getting any air from your regulator, which causes the breathing reflex, which causes panic, which makes you breathe even more shallowly, leading to a cycle that ends with you popping to the surface with a gas embolism (air in your bloodstream which can cut off blood flow to useful organs) or pneumothorax (collapsed lung). The lungs are paper-thin (for gas exchange), you can give yourself an embolism in 4 feet of water. As noted, compressed air is quite chilly and dry, it can really irritate your lungs.
That said, I have slight asthma triggered by cold air and exertion, but I dive. I don't ever need an inhaler, but I would be very wary of taking any short-acting medicine to dive, because it could wear off at the worst time. I would absolutely stay hydrated, stay warm, and try to reduce my exertion. Everyone is trying to do those things, so you wouldn't be unusual in that respect, though. My main advice is to really listen to your body. There are a lot of great activities in the world, why push it with this one? If you're several minutes away from the surface, it's dark, your mask is filling with water because the strap is loose, and the cold water is aggravating your asthma, are you going to hold it together or are you going to spit out your regulator (the one thing keeping you alive underwater) and bolt for the surface? Know thyself.
posted by wnissen at 8:08 PM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
What can go wrong? Trapped air during ascent is super bad, as noted above. Rapid, shallow respiration, such as you might do during an asthma attack, can also kill you. It doesn't allow your body to eliminate CO2, which makes it feel like you're not getting any air from your regulator, which causes the breathing reflex, which causes panic, which makes you breathe even more shallowly, leading to a cycle that ends with you popping to the surface with a gas embolism (air in your bloodstream which can cut off blood flow to useful organs) or pneumothorax (collapsed lung). The lungs are paper-thin (for gas exchange), you can give yourself an embolism in 4 feet of water. As noted, compressed air is quite chilly and dry, it can really irritate your lungs.
That said, I have slight asthma triggered by cold air and exertion, but I dive. I don't ever need an inhaler, but I would be very wary of taking any short-acting medicine to dive, because it could wear off at the worst time. I would absolutely stay hydrated, stay warm, and try to reduce my exertion. Everyone is trying to do those things, so you wouldn't be unusual in that respect, though. My main advice is to really listen to your body. There are a lot of great activities in the world, why push it with this one? If you're several minutes away from the surface, it's dark, your mask is filling with water because the strap is loose, and the cold water is aggravating your asthma, are you going to hold it together or are you going to spit out your regulator (the one thing keeping you alive underwater) and bolt for the surface? Know thyself.
posted by wnissen at 8:08 PM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by shornco at 8:35 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]